


Just Between Us

by trashbender



Series: Touch Starved [12]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Comfort, Idiots in Love, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Lance is a good boyfriend, M/M, Shiro is Worried (like always), Touch-Starved, Worry, communication is key, keith is confused, talk about sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-10 22:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17434880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashbender/pseuds/trashbender
Summary: Lance is tired of being the middleman.





	Just Between Us

**Author's Note:**

> Clarification if needed: in this AU Keith and Shiro grew up together. They're brothers, and Shiro is very concerned for his little brother. More clarification will be in the end notes if needed.

 

Keith has just always assumed that Lance had a big mouth. It’s not that he can’t keep secrets, because Keith knows that he can, it’s just that sometimes things spill when he gets a little too excited or whatnot, and it was just a Lance-thing.

It’s by pure accident he learns that Lance might be more selective in his "spillings".

Keith was just walking down the hallway, on his way to the common room when he heard an unmistakable voice hiss, “Shiro.”

At first Keith didn’t really think anything about it. He was just going to leave before Lance could drag him into whatever argument they were having now, but then he heard his own name. And really, how could he  _not_ listen in then?

“Come on, Lance! It’s not like I’m asking so much, just... just a little. You know how Keith is.”

“Ask him yourself.”

Shiro groaned. “He won’t talk to me about this stuff! You know he won’t.”

“I know no such thing,” Lance snipped back. “Either you ask, or wait for him to tell you. My lips are closed.”

Another groan from Shiro. “Come on, Lance, please!”

From there he should have left promptly, but he was waiting for more and before he knew it, Lance was marching around the corner, walking straight into him. They had a moment where they just stared at each other, Lance’s face still serious and a little angry from his conversation with Shiro. Keith didn’t know what to do, being caught eavesdropping like a little kid. But before he could decide on a course of action, Lance was grabbing his hand and dragging him away.

He had nearly chewed through his lip by the two minute walk to Lance’s bedroom. Lance’s movements had been stiff and jerky, angry, and while Keith was in no way scared of him, he wasn’t used to Lance being angry. Not outside of battle anyway.

As Lance turned with a heavy sigh, his face quickly softened when he saw Keith’s chewed-up lip. His hands immediately went to poke his mouth, fending his teeth away. “Stop that or you’ll start bleeding.”

“I’m sorry—“ Keith blurted out, but Lance already shook his head.

“We were talking about you, had it been me I’d do the same.”

Keith frowned, wanting to ask but not entirely sure if he should. Lance seemed upset, and he wasn’t even sure what Shiro had been asking about, but he was also so very curious. “Why... what were you talking about?”

Lance looked at him, studying him, before seeming to come to a conclusion. “Our sex life.”

The world tilted a little bit. Keith was certain he must have heard wrong, but from Lance’s expression — a little amused and very fuming at the same time — he probably hadn’t. “Eh... wa— why?”

Lance had started to pace now. “Guess he thought I was loose-lipped or something!”

Keith couldn’t fathom why Shiro had asked about their sex life of all things, but he also didn’t quite understand why Lance was upset. “Um... Lance, don’t take this the wrong way, but... why didn’t you just... uh...”

“Tell him?” Lance turned to look at him, and he didn’t look angry, but not pleased either. “And why would I do that?”

Keith scratched his neck awkwardly. “I thought maybe... I mean, you like... you know... bragging? Is that the right word?”

Lance sighed heavily. “I get what you mean, I do, but no, babe. You don’t brag when someone comes up and ask you about your sex life. That’s not how that works.”

“Okay,” was all Keith could reply, because honestly, he had no idea how that shit worked. Nor did he really care; but he knew Lance wouldn’t lie, and while he still didn’t get why he was upset, he didn’t judge him either.

Lance gave another sigh. “It’s not that he asked, okay,” he said and sat down on the bed, looking straight at Keith. His face was softer now. Keith sat down beside him. “Asking would be fine, but— he didn’t really ask about _our_  sex life, as much as, well, _yours_.”

“Okay, but why would he ask you?”

Suddenly Lance smiled at him, all fondly and like he’d said the perfect thing. “Either because he’s embarrassed, or because he doesn’t think you’ll get why he asked.”

“I don’t get why he asked,” Keith told him honestly.

Another smile. “Yeah, but once I explain to you why, you’ll get it. You’re not stupid.”

Keith honestly didn’t get the point of this, any of it, but he tried nonetheless. “Okay, then explain.”

Lance stared at him for another minute, studying him or planning his next words. “You’ve become better, a _lot_  better, with all the touching, yeah?” Keith nodded. He was getting better everyday, though some days were harder than others. But Lance already knew all that. “Yeah, and I’m so proud of you, and I know it’s still not— there's still lots to do, but you’re getting better, always, and that’s great, but we know there’s still a few things that’s... overwhelming.” Keith nodded again. Nothing of this was news either. They talked about his progress regularly, Lance always asking him how this or that felt compared to before and whatnot.

Lance gave another small sigh and rubbed his forehead. “I get that he worries, okay? But he could just ask. Ask you I mean, it’s not like— Shrio, he wanted to know if we _had_  a sex life. Like, if you were doing good enough to do those sort of things. And I get it, I do, but dammit, why does he have to ask me like we have to keep it all secret?”

Keith takes a bit to process this, then he slowly says, “Shiro wanted to know if were having— no, if I _could_ have sex?”

“Something like that,” Lance muttered into his hands.

“But he wanted to keep it a secret, that he asked?”

Another groan. “Yeah? I mean, I guess he didn’t want to like... pressure you or embarrass you, and I get that, but why not... I mean, why not ask me _if_  I think it’s okay to ask _you_  that. Why just ask me and then make me keep secrets from my boyfriend, you know?” With a pained expression, Lance looked up at him. “Am I overreacting?”

Keith smiled at him. “Maybe a little? I mean, I think you’re both ridiculous, but... does he ask you about a lot of things? I mean, about me?”

Lance goes, “...fuck.”

“Shiro’s a worrywrat, I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t tell him everything, okay?” Lance stress. “I mean, Shiro would probably like to know every detail about your life, even if it left him mortified, but I don’t give him details— I don’t even tell him that much! But he _is_  worried, and I get it? Because I worry about you a lot too, and he’s... you know, you guys are close, and you don’t talk much — and Shiro doesn’t ask! I feel like I should tell him something? Like just update him a little?”

Lance looks a little panicked, like he thinks he might be in trouble, which again Keith thinks is ridiculous. Because everyone knows Lance has a big mouth. And everyone knows Shiro’s a worrywrat. These are just facts now.

“It’s not a big deal, Lance, I trust you. But... just out of curiosity, what do you tell him? Like what do you update him on?”

A small, shy smile graces Lance’s lips. “Your progress, mostly. I tell him when you seem to have been doing good for a longer time, or when you get a little set back and might need a little more space than usual. Shit, he might have told Hunk and Pidge; to give you room, I mean. I tell him to not worry and just, like, see how it goes? You usually tell us to fuck off if you want to be alone, so, it’s not like it’s hard to tell with you.” At Keith’s pale face Lance laughs and adds, “It’s a good thing, mostly. It keeps us from guessing.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, as in... we’re cool?”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Yes, we’re _cool_.”

Lance grins. “Epic.”

Keith rolls his eyes again, but kisses him back once he leans in. After a few seconds Lance backs off a little and just rests his head against Keith’s.

“Just for the record, I don’t have a big mouth.”

“Just when it’s harmless.”

Lance looks shocked and kind of delighted, then he acts wounded and hurt. “What? My own boyfriend think I’m loose-lipped? Betrayed.”

Keith just kisses him to shut him up, and Lance doesn’t complain.

**Author's Note:**

>  **A/N:** For clarifications, I think a lot of people make Lance out to be this "blabber-mouth", and while I do think he can gossip a lot, I also think he keeps a lot of secrets (for others, I mean. He's the kind of person people come to unload on, ya'know?). I mean, I picture him as a very good listener, and while I 100% believe he "helps from the shadows", I think he would also “accidentally” overshares with others when he thinks it's necessary for others to know.
> 
> He’s not as “loose-lipped” as he is selectively oversharing, if that makes sense?
> 
> And I also just think that Shiro, being the Worried Mother, would BOMB Lance with questions, to the point that he can’t take it anymore. Which is kind of why he’s so angry. It might not have come across so well, and it might have seemed like Lance was just overreacting, but he’s Tired, okay? He’s doing his best and is very sick of being the middleman. These people need to start communicating goddamit!
> 
> As for the title-- I suck at them. And so far my options were "Just Between Us", "Middleman", "Communication" or just straight up "Concerns", and I honestly don't know which one is worse, so sorry, I guess? (Also tell me which one I should go with because I'll change it).
> 
> Hope y'all liked it?
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender or anything related to it.


End file.
